{{Merge from |1=Liberal Coalition Party |target=Free-minded National Association |afd=Liberal Coalition Party |date =May 2026 }} {{Infobox political party | name = Freeminded National Association | native_name = Frisinnade Landsföreningen | colorcode = {{party color|Free-minded National Association}} | logo = | founded = 1902 | dissolved = 1934 | ideology = [[Classical liberalism]]<br>[[Alcohol prohibition]] | international = [[International Entente of Radical and Similar Democratic Parties|Radical International]] | country = Sweden | predecessor = Folkpartiet,<br>Bondeska diskussionsklubben,<br>Friesenska diskussionsklubben | successor = [[Liberals (Sweden)|Liberal People's Party]] | colours = }}

The '''Free-minded National Association''' ({{Langx|sv|Frisinnade landsföreningen}}) was a liberal political party and national organization in Sweden, active from 1902 to 1934. It was founded to organize liberal political forces at the national level and became associated with the [[Liberal Coalition Party]] in the [[Riksdag|Swedish Parliament]]. During the early twentieth century, the association participated in parliamentary and local elections and was linked to politicians including [[Karl Staaff]], [[Nils Edén]], and [[Carl Gustaf Ekman]].<ref name="Bergelin (1951), pp. 224-225"/> Following internal disagreements over [[prohibition]] policy, the organization split in 1923. In 1934, it merged with the [[Liberal Party of Sweden]] to form the [[Liberals (Sweden)|Liberal People's Party]].<ref name=NS>{{cite book |first=Dieter |last=Nohlen |author-link=Dieter Nohlen |last2=Stöver |first2=Philip |year=2010 |title=Elections in Europe: A data handbook |publisher=Nomos |page=1843 |isbn=978-3-8329-5609-7}}</ref>

==History== The Free-minded National Association was formed at a meeting in [[Stockholm]] on 22–24 February 1902, as a national organization corresponding to the [[Liberal Coalition Party]], which had been created in [[Riksdag|Parliament]] in 1900. According to its statutes, its purpose was "to unite the politically liberal-minded citizens of the country for common work and action; to promote the election to Parliament of men and women who support the program presented by the association in general elections; to promote the election of liberal representatives to [[Regions of Sweden|county councils]] as well as city, municipal, and local councils; and otherwise to encourage sound democratic development within the state and [[Municipalities of Sweden|municipalities]]."<ref name="Bergelin (1951), pp. 224-225">{{cite book |url=https://runeberg.org/nffh/0146.html |editor-last=Bergelin |editor-first=S.-E. S. |title=Nordisk familjebok: encyklopedi och konversationslexikon |volume=8. Franken - Girland |edition=4th |year=1951 |publisher=Förlagshuset Norden |location=Malmö |language=sv |id={{LIBRIS|539090}} |pages=224-225}}</ref>

The organization was based partly on local associations united into constituency federations, and partly on members directly affiliated with the association's main office in Stockholm (so-called supporting members). The constituency federations elected representatives to the association's council of confidence and to the national convention (the Free-minded National Convention), which the association held every other year in Stockholm. Leadership was exercised by an executive committee, within which a smaller working delegation could be appointed. The party headquarters, the office of the Free-minded National Association, was located in Stockholm. The association reached its peak in 1914, when it counted around 1,250 local branches with more than 50,000 members. After the party's electoral defeat that same year, the organization declined to around 450 local branches.<ref name="Bergelin (1951), pp. 224-225">{{cite book |url=https://runeberg.org/nffh/0146.html |editor-last=Bergelin |editor-first=S.-E. S. |title=Nordisk familjebok: encyklopedi och konversationslexikon |volume=8. Franken - Girland |edition=4th |year=1951 |publisher=Förlagshuset Norden |location=Malmö |language=sv |id={{LIBRIS|539090}} |pages=224-225}}</ref>

The Free-minded National Association achieved its greatest political success in the [[1911 Swedish general election|1911 elections]] to the [[Andra kammaren|Second Chamber]]. The party won 101 seats in the Second Chamber, after which [[Karl Staaff]] formed {{ill|Staaff II cabinet|lt=his second cabinet|sv|Regeringen Staaff II|fr|Gouvernement Staaff II|no|Karl Staaffs andre regjering}}. The association took an active part in the defence disputes of 1913–1914, but the party suffered major losses in both elections of 1914. In the [[1917 Swedish general election|1917 general election]], as well as in the {{ill|1919 Swedish county council elections|sv|Landstingsvalen i Sverige 1919}}, the party once again achieved success. This strength was also reflected in the fact that [[Nils Edén]] served as prime minister in the [[Edén cabinet|Liberal–Social Democratic government]] from 1917 to 1920.<ref name="Bergelin (1951), pp. 224-225"/>

However, forces of division began to emerge within the party. The wedge issue was the [[Temperance movement|temperance]] question. At an extraordinary national convention on 27 May 1923, the prohibitionist faction gained the upper hand. This led to the split of the Free-minded National Association. Most representatives of the minority faction immediately left the association, and in October of the same year the [[Liberal Party of Sweden]] was formed. The Free-minded National Association thus continued, but now as the national organization of the Free-minded liberals under the leadership of [[Carl Gustaf Ekman]].<ref name="Bergelin (1951), pp. 224-225"/>

Before the split, the Free-minded National Association had 530 local associations with 21,000 members; afterward, it had 297 associations with 10,777 members. The organization was later reorganized under the leadership of the secretary G. Hammarlund and by 1931 had around 13,500 members in approximately 400 local branches. In the elections of 1932, it attracted 244,577 voters. Until 1932, Carl Gustaf Ekman served as chairman of both the executive committee and the council of confidence.<ref name="Bergelin (1951), pp. 224-225"/>

From 1924 onward, a separate women's organization existed alongside the Free-minded National Association, the Women's Group of the Free-minded People's Party (''Frisinnade folkpartiets kvinnogrupp''), and from 1928 likewise a youth organization, the {{ill|Swedish Free-minded Youth Federation|sv|Sveriges frisinnade ungdomsförbund}}, both of which worked in close cooperation with the main organization. In the press, the views of the Free-minded National Association and the {{ill|Free-minded People's Party|sv|Frisinnade folkpartiet|ca|Partit Popular de Pensament Lliure|no|Frisinnade folkpartiet|fi|Vapaamielinen kansanpuolue}} were represented by around 20 major newspapers, whose editors were united in the Swedish Free-minded Press Association (''Sveriges frisinnade pressförening''). In 1934, the [[Liberals (Sweden)|Liberal People's Party]] was formed through the merger of the Free-minded National Association and the Liberal Party of Sweden.<ref name="Bergelin (1951), pp. 224-225"/>

==Leaders== * 1900&ndash;1905: [[Sixten von Friesen]] * 1905&ndash;1915: [[Karl Staaff]] * 1915&ndash;1918: [[Daniel Persson i Tällberg|Daniel Persson]] * 1918&ndash;1924: [[Nils Edén]] * 1924&ndash;1932: [[Carl Gustaf Ekman]] * 1932&ndash;1935: [[Felix Hamrin]]

== Election results == {| class=wikitable |+ Riksdag ! rowspan="2"| Date ! colspan="3"| Votes ! colspan="2"| Seats ! rowspan="2"| Position ! rowspan="2"| Size |- ! No. ! % ! ± pp ! No. ! ± |- ! [[1902 Swedish general election|1902]] | 92,503 | 51.24 | ''New'' | {{composition bar|107|230|{{party color|Free-minded National Association}}}} | ''New'' | {{no2|Opposition}} | align="center"| 1st |- ! [[1905 Swedish general election|1905]] | 98,287 | 45.23 | {{decrease}} 6.01 | {{composition bar|109|230|{{party color|Free-minded National Association}}}} | {{increase}} 2 | {{yes2|Coalition}} | {{decrease}} 2nd |- ! [[1908 Swedish general election|1908]] | 144,426 | 46.83 | {{increase}} 1.6 | {{composition bar|105|230|{{party color|Free-minded National Association}}}} | {{decrease}} 4 | {{no2|Opposition}} | {{increase}} 1st |- ![[1911 Swedish general election|1911]] | 242,795 | 40.20 | {{decrease}} 6.63 | {{composition bar|102|230|{{party color|Free-minded National Association}}}} | {{decrease}} 3 | {{yes2|Coalition}} | {{decrease}} 1st |- ! [[March 1914 Swedish general election|March 1914]] | 245,107 | 32.24 | {{decrease}} 7.96 | {{composition bar|71|230|{{party color|Free-minded National Association}}}} | {{decrease}} 31 | {{no2|Opposition}} | {{decrease}} 3rd |- ! [[September 1914 Swedish general election|September 1914]] | 196,493 | 26.87 | {{decrease}} 5.37 | {{composition bar|57|230|{{party color|Free-minded National Association}}}} | {{decrease}} 14 | {{no2|Opposition}} | {{steady}} 3rd |- ![[1917 Swedish general election|1917]] | 202,936 | 27.57 | {{increase}} 0.7 | {{composition bar|62|230|{{party color|Free-minded National Association}}}} | {{increase}} 5 | {{yes2|Coalition}} | {{increase}} 2nd |- ! [[1920 Swedish general election|1920]] | 143,355 | 21.78 | {{decrease}} 5.79 | {{composition bar|47|230|{{party color|Free-minded National Association}}}} | {{decrease}} 15 | {{no2|Opposition}} | {{decrease}} 3rd |- ! [[1921 Swedish general election|1921]] | 325,608 | 18.69 | {{decrease}} 3.09 | {{composition bar|41|230|{{party color|Free-minded National Association}}}} | {{decrease}} 6 | {{no2|Opposition}} | {{steady}} 3rd |- ! [[1924 Swedish general election|1924]] | 228,913 | 12.97 | {{decrease}} 5.72 | {{composition bar|29|230|{{party color|Free-minded National Association}}}} | {{decrease}} 12 | {{no2|Opposition}} | {{steady}} 3rd |- ! [[1928 Swedish general election|1928]] | 303,995 | 12.89 | {{decrease}} 0.8 | {{composition bar|28|230|{{party color|Free-minded National Association}}}} | {{decrease}} 1 | {{no2|Opposition}} | {{steady}} 3rd |- ! [[1932 Swedish general election|1932]] | 244,577 | 9.80 | {{decrease}} 3.09 | {{composition bar|20|230|{{party color|Free-minded National Association}}}} | {{decrease}} 8 | {{no2|Opposition}} | {{decrease}} 4th |}

==See also== *[[Liberalism and centrism in Sweden]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Political parties in Sweden}} {{Authority control}}

[[Category:1902 establishments in Sweden]] [[Category:1934 disestablishments in Sweden]] [[Category:Defunct liberal political parties]] [[Category:Defunct political parties in Sweden]] [[Category:Liberals (Sweden)]] [[Category:Political parties established in 1902]] [[Category:Political parties disestablished in 1934]] [[Category:Radical parties]]